Present Simple:

affirmative
I
he/she/it
you/we/they

I am.
He is.
You are.

negative

question

I am not.
He is not.
You are not.

Am I?
Is he?
Are you?

negative
I have not got. / I do not
have.
He has not got. / He does
not have.

question
Have I got? / Do I
have?
Has he got? / Does he
have?

have
affirmative
I/you/we/they

I have got. / I have.

he/she/it

He has got. / He has.

other verbs
I/you/we/they
he/she/it

Exceptions in Spelling
Exception
The verbs can, may, might, must remain the same in all
forms. So don't add s.
Verbs ending in o or a sibilant (ch, sh, s, x) add es instead of
s.
A final y after a consonant becomes ie before s. (but: don't
modify y after a vowel)

Example
he can, she may, it must
do - he does, wash - she washes
worry - he worries (but: play he plays)

Use :
, ,
, (. ),
.

Typical Signal Words

always

every ...

often

normally

usually

sometimes

seldom

never

Present Continuous Form

I
he, she, it
you, we, they
Exceptions in Spelling
Exeption

Example

silent e is dropped before ing (but: ee is not

changed)

come - coming (but: agree agreeing)

final consonant after short, stressed vowel is

doubled

sit - sitting

final consonant l after vowel is always doubled (in

British English)

travel - travelling

ie becomes y before ing

lie - lying

Use: ,

,
,
,
,

Typical Signal Words

at the moment

now / just now / right now

Listen!

Look!

Past Simple:
Form
-

with regular verbs: infinitive + -ed

with irregular verbs: 2nd column of the table of the irregular verbs
I/he/she/it was, we/you/they were

Examples
Affirmative sentences:
regular verbs
I played football.
We visited Alaska last year.
Negative: I did not play a
football.

irregular verbs
I went to the cinema.
We were in Rome yesterday.

Question: Did you play football?

Signal words

yesterday, last week, a month ago, in

2002

Use - ,
, ,
, If I

Past Continuous
Form: I/he/she/it WAS, we/you/they WERE + ing
Use: ,
,

Signal Words of Past Continuous

when, while, as long as

Present Perfect Simple

I / you / we / they HAVE, he / she / it HAS + ed/3rd
Use: .
, ;
(Example: School has not
started yet.), (She has cooked dinner.),

Signal Words of Present Perfect

already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now

Present Perfect Continuous

I / you / we / they HAVE BEEN, he / she / it HAS BEEN + ing
Use:
;
(I have been living here since 2001.);
(I have been working all
afternoon).

Signal Words of Present Perfect Progressive:

all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how long?, the whole week

Past Perfect Simple

I/you/he-she-it/we/you/they HAD +ed/3rd
Use:
Signal Words

already, just, never, not yet, once, until that day (with reference to the
past, not the present)

If-Satz Typ III (If I had talked, )

Past Perfect Continuous

A: He had been talking.

N: He had not been talking.

Q: Had he been talking?

Use:

Future Simple
will
no differences

I will speak. I will not speak.

Will I speak

Use: , , , , , ,
,
Signal Words

in a year, next , tomorrow

I think, probably, perhaps

going to
I
I am going to speak.
I am not going to speak.
Am I going to speak?
you / we / they You are going to speak. You are not going to speak. Are you going to speak?
he / she / it
He is going to speak. He is not going to speak. Is he going to speak?
Use: ,

Future Continuous will be + ing

A: He will be talking.

N: He will not be talking.

Q: Will he be talking?

Use:

Signal Words

in one year, next week, tomorrow

Future Perfect will have +ed/3rd

A: He will have talked.

N: He will not have talked.

Q: Will he have talked?

Use: .

Words: by Monday, in a week

Future Perfect Continuous - will have been + ing

A: He will have been talking.

N: He will not have been talking.

Q: Will he have been talking?

Use:

Signal Words

for ..., the last couple of hours, all day long